84 



nivorous intentions" are doubtful. All the lady bugs and tlieir larvae 

 feed upon the chinch bug, as also a common ground beetle {Agono- 

 derns comma), the larva of the lace-wing fly, and one of the rob- 

 ber-bugs {Harpacior cincius). The ground beetle mentioned was 

 found by dissection to have derived about one fifth of its food 

 from chinch bugs, and about eight p^r cent, of the food of Coc- 

 cinellid^e captured among them consisted of these insects. A few 

 common birds feed upon chinch bugs occasionally, but do not 

 search for them. More important than insect and bird enemies 

 are certain obscure fungus parasites (one. Micrococcus insectorum, 

 Bim^ill) which give rise to fatal epidemics. As the possibility of 

 propagatin.e: such diseases artificially has been proven, much may 

 be hoped from this class of enemies. Dr. J. L. LeConte is men-, 

 tioned as having suggested this possibility in 1873. Dr. Shimer 

 is credited with the first published account of disease among 

 chinch bugs, — quotations being made from his paper describ- 

 ing it, — and Dr. Cyrus Thomas's remarks thereupon are given 

 with observations of his own upon epidemics among house flies 

 and grasshoppers. Personal observations and studies on this sub- 

 ject began Aug. 3, 1882, and a series of careful experiments was 

 instituted on the 5th. From the fact that these fungus parasites 

 were found to be extremely abundant in the fluids of speci- 

 mens from a field where the bugs were rapidly dying, and rela- 

 tively few in adjacent fields, they were apparently related to the 

 destruction, this view being confirmed by the fact that they were 

 more abundant in old bugs than in young ones, while the mortal- 

 ity referred to was greatest among the former. It was foiind 

 easy to cultivate the bacterium artificially, and an article by 

 Metschnikoff is translated and quoted as bearing npon the proba- 

 bility of rearing this parasite successfully. No opportunity was 

 afforded to apply the artificial infection to healthy insects. Some 

 evidence is adduced of the possibility of artificially cultivating an- 

 other parasite observed, belonging to the genus Entomophthora; 

 and there is reason for believing that this was the active agent in 

 the chinch-bug epidemic of 1865,. reported by Dr. Shimer. Under 

 the head of topical applications an article by Dr. Riley is quoted, 

 giving the method of preparing kerosene emulsions; and experi- 

 ments with emulsions of different strengths variously diluted and 

 applied to infested hills of corn in the laboratory and in the field 

 are described, the general result, as stated, being "that a simple 

 mechanical mixture of water and three per cent, of kerosene is 

 deadly to bugs of all ages and does not injure half-grown corn 

 if the fluid is kept well shaken up. Data as to cost of mixture, 

 quantity required, and mode of application are given, and it is sug- 

 gested that i)ossibly such ^preparations might be made useful in 

 fields of small grain. 



FoiiBES, S, A. -TJie Ilogulativo Action of Birds upon Insect Oscil- 

 lations. (Bull. 111. State Lab. Nat. Hist., v. 1, No. 0, 1883, 

 p. 0.) 



A few cliiiicii bugs w(!ro found in the food of the house wren. 



